Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

Growing up, baking was something that my mom and I did together. In fact, my love of all things chocolate came from her. Of course, when I had Jordan, I was so excited because now I could have a little helper in the kitchen too.

Too bad I am waaaaay to anal to have a kid in the kitchen with me.

Jordan sees me baking all the time. In fact, after dinner, she always asks for the treat I made that day. {God forbid I don’t bake one day. She looks at me like I have two heads. Then she sighs and heads off to her candy bucket in the pantry.}

Occasionally she watches me bake. And sometimes, if the stars align right, she wants to help. {And by help, I mean actually help…not just make a bigger mess.}

This recipe was one of those times. The nice folks at Nestle were nice enough to send us a baking kit for an afternoon of baking as a family. I think the new “toys” were just what she needed to get Jordan into the kitchen with me.

I must say, I am kind of stoked to have these measuring cups and spoons. There is a 1/8 cup and a 1/2 tablespoon. Can we pretend I didn’t do a little dance when I saw those?

I looked through all my recipes and gave Jordan a few choices. She chose these bars.

Good choice, kid. I taught you well.

I wasn’t lying when I said she helped out with these. She basically did all of it herself. That spatula is especially cool because it fit her hands perfectly.

She even got to sneak a chocolate chip or seven while she thought I wasn’t looking.

Seriously, the kid of a food blogger. She never sees the camera, even when it’s pointed at her.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13” baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Combine all crust and topping ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until crumbly (you may need to use your hands to finish this step). Reserve 2 cups of the mixture and press the rest into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Mix sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter, and vanilla in a small bowl with a hand mixer. Pour and spread over crust. Top evenly with chocolate chips and nuts if using. Press remaining crust mixture evenly over the top of the chocolate chips.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until it is brown around the edges. The center will not be set. Let completely cool before cutting into bars.

Recipe Source: www.crazyforcrust.com | (c) Crazy for Crust All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you wish to republish my recipe, please re-write it in your own words or link back to this recipe.

Thanks for reading!

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so exciting jordan helped you out Dorothy!!! sometimes I wish I had a little helper like her. You know I love oats + pb + chocolate. these bars have my name written all over them! a wonderful combination!

What a sweet post! She is so cute and serious making sure it’s done just right:-) My kids love to help in the kitchen too…I think stealing chocolate chips is exactly why!!! Glad she chose to use the whole bag…you have taught her well!

Yay! What a cutie little helper. And hey, who says taking a cue from Ginger is a bad thing? That’s perfectly good dough bits on her hands BTW, I totally love oatmeal and pb and choc together so if you want to get some bars off your hands…. you know where I live, stalker!

Wow! I just had a flashback to my childhood seeing your little one baking. I remember that smile and confidence that came when my mama let me “take the reins” in the kitchen. I love that you’re a teaching mother (Big Smile:-D) XOXO

Wow those look so good n moist. Ive been looking for the yummiest PB choc chip oat bars and baking recipes im not satisfied with. Then I found your recipe! Tell me please, is tne condensed milk over powering with sweetness? Thanks!